USA, CT: Developer scales back West Haven brewery plan amid pushback

Facing accepting city officials but lawsuits from somewhat less enthusiastic neighbors, a developer now is offering a less ambitious proposal for a brewery along West Haven’s shoreline, the New Haven Register reported on June 13.

Doug Gray, a developer for a proposal that would lease land from the city to build a brewery that would become the new home of the Woodbridge-based New England Brewing Co., presented the West Haven City Council with a new lease proposal this week, nine months after the council approved a lease for a 52.000-square-foot combined brewery, taproom and event space facility.

Plans to begin tearing down the abandoned and decaying conference center that sits at the 6 Rock St. site to initiate construction were halted when the development was served two lawsuits from neighbors on both sides of the site — the Jimmies of Savin Rock restaurant and the Land Trust of West Haven that maintains an adjacent conservation easement.

“There's an old adage in real estate that time kills all deals," Gray said. “With the lawsuits that were pending, who knows what was going to happen.”

Gray said that, although he believes both lawsuits are "frivolous," they were burning up one of the brewery's most valuable commodities: time. Gray said the brewery now expects to open something "as soon as we can" within the existing footprint of the conference center, offering a goal to do so before the holidays.

"We think we're pretty bulletproof on that," he said.

As a result, the brewery has surrendered much of its plans for production and distribution capacity along the city's shoreline; it plans to keep manufacturing product at its Woodbridge facility for now.

Despite the scaling down of the project, Gray said it is still a "pretty substantial investment" in the building because of renovation needs; he said he would know the price estimate "within 30 days or so" from Monday's meeting. Gray said the facade facing the water would change "dramatically" and so will the interior. He said it is his understanding that the new proposal would not require any variances from the city.

Two council members expressed concerns about the new proposed rent agreement, which would stipulate $40,000 annual rent for the first 10 years, or $3,333 per month. The annual rent would increase to $44,000 after 10 years and then several more times until becoming $94,317 annual rent in the 90th year of a potential 99-year lease.

“There's properties on that street where people are paying more than $3,000 for their homes,” said Councilwoman Katherine Tucker, D-7. “We want you guys here, but we also don’t want to get taken to the cleaners. We want this to be a deal that works for both of us.”

Councilman Robert Bruneau, D-9, said he believes that "direct shorefront" property is worth more than that rate.

Councilman Steven Johnstone, R-10, noted that the council heard from advocates of the Savin Rock Museum that had been housed in the basement of the conference center; as a result, the brewery had agreed to incorporate a separate display room in its initial concept. By scaling down, the brewery no longer would incorporate such a space. Gray said the brewery still wants to "pay homage" and would incorporate photos and other visuals into its decor.

The brewery, as initially proposed, was intended as the signature economic development proposal of Mayor Nancy Rossi's tenure.

"It's unfortunate that sour grapes, whatever you want to call it, held it up," Rossi said on June 12. "I'm hoping the hurdles have been cleared so we can move forward."

Rossi said the current building is "in disrepair" and "doesn't look good." Rossi said the residents are anticipating a grand opening of an attractive-looking business along the shoreline.

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed this time everybody goes along with this," she said.

Jeffrey Gordon, a landscape architect who has represented Jimmies before the council during hearings about NEBCO, said the Jimmies team looks forward to reviewing the new NEBCO proposal.

"As was stated at the outset, the Owners of Jimmies welcomed the Tasting Room use," Gordon said in an email Tuesday. "It has always been the scale and industrial component requiring otherwise unjustified variances that became an issue. If the operation remains scaled within the building footprint, stays off the people’s boardwalk and is fully Zoning Compliant, we believe this could be a fine addition to the area."

Marilyn Wilkes, vice president of the Land Trust of West Haven, said there had been a 40-year battle to preserve city land along the shoreline from encroaching private development before the Savin Rock Shorefront conservation easement was signed in 2007.

"In 1991 the Land Trust of West Haven, Inc., was formed, leaving the stewardship of the land in the hands of the Land Trust of West Haven. We take that responsibility very seriously," Wilkes said in an emailed statement. "The Land Trust was originally supportive of the brewery and reached out to NEBCO with the hope of being good neighbors. We had thought it was just going to take over the existing Savin Rock Conference Center. However, once we learned that the developer intended to build a huge beer factory that would encroach on easement property, we became very concerned and filed the lawsuit to protect that land—as we have been entrusted to do by the conservation easement."

Wilkes said Land Trust officials intend on reviewing the revised proposal and "hope that NEBCO is still interested in being good neighbors with us."

Acting Council Finance Committee Chairman Ron Quagliani, D-At Large, called for a public hearing on the new NEBCO proposal at 6 p.m. June 20.

13 June, 2023